KBR and Yokogawa agree to work on fertilizer automation systems

HOUSTON (ICIS)—KBR and Yokogawa Electric Corporation announced on Monday that the two companies have formed an alliance for the supply of fertilizer automation packages to their respective customers.

According to KBR officials, the automation arrangement will couple its ammonia process technology and expertise with Yokogawa’s background in process-control systems to streamline the work process at plants and to develop standard configurations and simplify connections with other suppliers.

KBR will also lend its experience in enhanced distribution control systems and advanced applications in such areas as operations management, performance monitoring, operator training and simulation studies for future fertilizer plants. The company said its added inputs will increase plants' reliability, reduce their energy usage, raise their total capacity and improve their operator effectiveness.

“This alliance is consistent with KBR Technology’s growth strategy for our fertilizer business,” KBR's president of technology, John Derbyshire, said. “We are very proud that Yokogawa has agreed to partner with KBR and we look forward to pursuing opportunities to apply the fertilizer package both in our new and numerous existing facilities worldwide.”

Based in Houston, Texas, KBR is a leading engineering, construction and service company and has been involved with the licensing and designing of more than 200 plants across the globe.

Focused primarily on industrial automation and control applications, Japan-based Yokogawa is a multinational operation with 90 operating units in 55 countries.